


Possessions

by Fourleaves_Clover



Category: One Piece
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Civilian Borsalino, Dark, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, M/M, Pirate Sakazuki, Pre-Canon, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-20
Updated: 2020-12-20
Packaged: 2021-03-11 02:01:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,280
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28197318
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fourleaves_Clover/pseuds/Fourleaves_Clover
Summary: When people said anything was possible, they usually meant it in a positive way. However, if one truly took a moment to consider, ifanythingwas possible, how many truly horrible things were possible as well?In an unkind world, two possessions met each other and freed themselves from their chains. It was time to relearn what it meant to be alive.
Relationships: Akainu | Sakazuki/Kizaru | Borsalino
Comments: 10
Kudos: 16





	Possessions

**Author's Note:**

  * For [RedPen1992](https://archiveofourown.org/users/RedPen1992/gifts).



> I listen to The Way by Layto and Angel by Theory of a Deadman pretty much on repeat writing this so if you want mood music, that's your jam.
> 
> [Knees on ground  
> I would pray out loud  
> Low boy, see that sky  
> Lord, just let me fly  
> Knees on ground  
> I would pray out loud  
> Low boy, see that sky  
> Lord, just let me fly
> 
> I would fall asleep  
> To my darkest dream  
> All the truth I seek  
> Calling out to me]

The night sneaked up quietly, starting with the creeping darkness at the corner of one’s eyes as the sun set over the horizon, painting an ever changing colorful picture, from a bright orange to a vibrant flaming fire, then a sweet magenta before the blue took over the warm tones, drowning the last of the weakened sun. All too soon, the daylight had been taken over by the night sky. The stars twinkled merrily up above the Heaven, while below, the beasts stirred from their slumber, ready to crawl out of their hiding spot.

In a forgotten corner of a North Blue island docked a vessel, its ominous, tightly furled black sails blended in perfectly with the darkened surroundings. Above deck, activities had started picking up since the sea swallowed the sun. In the shroud of the night, this ship and its crew were the monsters that people avoided, the things that lurked in the dark.

Sakazuki crossed his arms, his back pressing against the railing behind him as he pondered on his love-hate relationship with the night. He despised how the darkness had become a shelter for all sorts of evil to fester, how humans had learned to instinctively fear it, the things that walked when the moon was out. However, he also knew, for all the stereotypes of darkness and hidden cruelties in masking shadows, the moonlight was a far softer judge than the sunlight so bright. Sakazuki could recognize himself in the morning light, but he did not want to. Perhaps that was why monsters got the reputation for sleeping during the day. At least under the moonlight, the reflection that looked back at him was not so clear.

Ducking in the shadow casted by the towering mast, Sakazuki pulled the tip of his cap down, his eyes shifted discreetly to observe the inky water below. The sound of the waves crashing against the hull of the ship would be calming to those who didn’t know what lied in the depths. They were the lucky ones. Sakazuki was not granted with such a gift, and in his lack of ignorance, he knew the sea was not calming nor peaceful. She was waiting, the silence before the storm, the brief pause when a drop of blood dripped in a shark infested water. There was murder in the air, a sort of anticipation of a slaughter to come, another island to raze to the ground. Sakazuki had unfortunately acquainted himself with this countless times in the past. He wished he didn’t have to.

“Listen up, low lives!” The obnoxiously loud voice of Captain Elbert, pirate captain of the Rattails Pirates, spoke up, silencing the hushed conversations around him. “We’re finally fucking there, boys, our last heist before it’s all over and boy, it’s a fucking big one. If anyone messes up my retirement plan, I’ll make you wish for death, understand?!” he yelled. He was every bit the exemplar stereotype of a pirate, a heavy set man with a fake gold tooth, scraggly beard, matted hair, dirty fingers and a laugh that grated the nerves. Sakazuki gritted his teeth, fighting down the urge to bare them in a snarl as he listened to the pirates around him laugh in agreement.

“Aye, aye, Cap’n! One last run! This island is fucking rich! Let’s burn it to the ground along with those noble bastards!” Raucous laughter erupted from the other pirates as they raised their weapons in a celebration for an easy life ahead, living off of the blood money that they robbed and plundered from the people.

Sakazuki’s lips pursed as he kept his stoic silence, refusing to move a muscle.

His movement, or the lack thereof, didn’t go unnoticed and as hard as he tried to blend into the shadow, it seemed like one monster had the ability to sense another because one of his ‘crewmates’ turned toward him, laughing mockingly. “Awe, what’s wrong, little cabin-boy? Ain’t ya glad this is the last time we have to do this? Don’t you always yammer on about not wanting to be a pirate? Look, here’s your chance to escape. Finish this well and we will divide up the money, you can have your share. Then you can grab a woman and live a nice life never having to work another day. Doesn’t that sound nice? Heard East Blue’s women are a catch,” the pirate taunted with a lecherous grin, and the others joined in, laughing like a pack of hungry hyenas.

The taunting words made Sakazuki glare angrily, his nostrils flared with silent fury while his hand gripped the sheath of his cheap scimitar so tightly he could almost feel the metal yield in his grip. He snarled, baring his teeth in a terrifying display of wrath. “Don’t talk to me,” he hissed, his body trembled from the effort of holding back a punch. The hatred and disgust he always felt toward his ‘crew’ bubbled up to the surface, dripping freely between his fingers while the acrid taste of bitterness at the back of his throat was so overpowering that Sakazuki wanted to hurl.

“Now, now, don’t bully him, boys,” the Captain said absently but it was clear that he couldn’t give a damn if people picked on Sakazuki or not. He smirked, glancing at Sakazuki like he was observing a prized show dog. “Heh, glad you’ve stopped denying who you are though. Man, you were one impulse trade. At least you didn’t turn out completely worthless,” came the cocky words and the man approached him, eyeing him up and down. “Well, that’s mainly because of me, of course. You should be more grateful, you could have been half way in that Grand Line by now serving as a slave for those rich bastards if it hadn’t been for me taking you in,” he said, pulling out a yellowed piece of parchment from his pocket. “See what it says? You’re a pirate to the core, boy!” he laughed, shoving the parchment that he frequently used to torment Sakazuki to his face.

Sakazuki’s jaw clenched, his eyes nearly white with helpless anger as he stared at the wanted poster, his younger self glared back at him hatefully from the picture while a gruesome splatter of blood caked a streak across his face. It read, in blocky letters, ‘Sakazuki ‘Red Hand’, 3 million berries’. It was a pathetic amount of bounty and a pathetic name for a ruthless crew such as the one he was in, but it didn’t matter how much he was worth. The bounty was the final nail to his miserable coffin. For the rest of his life, he could not do anything else but this hated ‘occupation’. Elbert had taken an ungodly amount of sadistic glee at it, shoving the bounty to his face at every chance he got. The message was loud and clear. No matter how much Sakazuki said he wasn’t a pirate, there was a bounty to his name that proved otherwise. After years of avoiding a fate worse than death, Sakazuki had lost to the inevitable. It was a bitter defeat that left Sakazuki’s eyes sting for days.

Sakazuki swallowed down a cutting insult, forcing his rage back to a dangerous shimmer instead. He knew Elbert was trying to get a rise out of him and after years of enduring this, he was already familiar with the games that they played. The pirate captain waited, nearly salivating at the prospect of Sakazuki losing his temper so he could have a reason to ‘educate’ him. Their eyes met for a long moment, neither was willing to break the staring match first.

Finally, the captain seemed to realize that his favorite game would not work on Sakazuki today. With a dramatic sigh, he gave Sakazuki a disappointed look like it was his fault that he didn’t give the bastard the cruel entertainment that he craved. “Oh well, Saki, remember your part. You need to get inside the treasure room while we… distract the city, and find the Blue Moon diamond, get it and get out,” he commanded, the corners of his mouth tilted up in a smirk. “You have sticky fingers after all. Think you can handle it, boy?” he asked, unable to resist digging into Sakazuki’s scar one more.

Sakazuki snarled. “It’s Sakazuki!” he corrected angrily. “I’ll do it,” he snapped. “After that, I’m free to do whatever the hell I want, ain’t I?” he asked, scanning the sea briefly before turning back to the captain. There was an ache in his heart, the childish, naïve dream of his youth surfaced intensely like a hot burning poker against his flesh. Sakazuki hadn’t been innocent in a long time.

Long ago, he once dreamed of protecting something far bigger than himself, his siblings at first and then, in his private moment looking upon the beautiful stars, he used to wish that he could create a safer world for them to grow up in. How that pirate attack had changed everything. He had managed to protect no one, not even himself, not even his dignity, and his freedom?

Heh.

They were pirates. They were free to do whatever they wanted, even if it meant taking possession of another person’s life. They had left him alive while his siblings burned in a fiery death, and in one final insult, they had captured Sakazuki as well, forcing him to become a cabin boy on their ship. By day, he was a servant. By night, he was a punching bag. Life was a living hell.

When people said anything was possible, they usually meant it in a positive way. However, if one truly took a moment to consider, if _anything_ was possible, how many truly horrible things were possible as well?

Sakazuki had already had the displeasure of finding it out. There were horrors that should be forever left unsaid. Just as humans were capable of great kindness, the depth of their darkness knew no bounds. So was their resilience to even the harshest environment.

Sakazuki was _nobody_ ’s plaything.

Two weeks into his servitude on the pirate ship, the pirates, fat on blood money and content in the knowledge that they had secured a good servant, fell asleep after a party, a celebration of destruction over a merchant ship that had the misfortune of meeting them. Sakazuki had watched carefully, waiting until the last of them finally dozed off before pouring cooking oil all over the polished wood floor.

Their black ship burned, just like Sakazuki’s family once did.

Foolish. He had been inexperienced and his execution had been lacking. Cooking oil was not the kind of oil one would want to use for such deeds. It had started the job, but it couldn’t finish it. Their ship was destroyed but they weren’t dead. The lashing that Sakazuki received scarred his back forever. Tears, sweat and blood darkened the floor below him but he never opened his mouth to beg. Once it was over, Sakazuki had spat blood in the face of the captain, glaring in defiance. ‘If you keep me here, one day, I will become your demise, pirate scum.’ There was no fear in his eyes. It was a sad day for a child to have no fear of death in his eyes, not because he didn’t understand death, but because he had nothing left to live for.

There was fear in the pirates’ eyes though, a trepidation as realization settled in their stomach. They had taken in a monster, or they had created one. Either way, Sakazuki’s words had been genuine. It was not a threat. It was a fact. Sakazuki would be the cause of their demise.

The funny thing about adults, not just pirates, was that they didn’t like to lose to children, especially one that hadn’t even reached double digits in age yet. They could kill him, but wasn’t that just admitting defeat? They couldn’t keep him, either. They were pirates, not fools. He would stab them in their sleep eventually. A monster could recognize a monster bigger than itself. Sakazuki would grow up to be a terrifying monster.

Well, the brat was their possession anyway, right? If one didn’t want another thing anymore, they could always give it away, or sell it for some good money. Sakazuki was no more precious to them than a mop and a bucket and he was more trouble than he was worth. It was an easy decision. The next time, he was passed off to another pirate crew for a small sum of money and an alliance. Thus, it started the life of the unruly cabin boy, Sakazuki, a beast no one could tame. He was passed off from one crew to another like a used possession no one really wanted. He was the nasty berrie that everyone hated receiving and trying to pass it to the next person as fast as possible. Sakazuki didn’t bother to count how many times he had moved, from ship to ship, from crew to crew. He only had one burning wish.

He didn’t _want_ to be a pirate.

It wasn’t until he was eighteen that one last pirate crew took an interest in taming the untamable, Captain Elbert, infamous for his cruelty and his interest was highly unusual to say the least. He wanted to do the impossible. In the Grand Line, pirates were racing to the finish line as if it meant something. Here in this North Blue, the Captain was convinced that one didn’t need to conquer the dangerous waters to do something no one had done before. No one had managed to tame Sakazuki yet, for all of their big talk. The Captain wanted to be the first one. For the first time, Sakazuki stayed in a crew for more than a year. The Captain quickly discovered Sakazuki’s hatred for all things piracy, an oddity, given that he had been on a pirate longer than he was alive. And with that came Sakazuki’s weakness. For every deed that Sakazuki refused to do, someone died because of his stubbornness.

Thus Sakazuki was forced to embark on this journey to become a pirate, not because he wanted to, but because he didn’t have another choice. Sakazuki stopped trying to burn down their ship. The last time he did that, a village burned. It had been similar to what he went through enough that it stayed his hand and made him smarter. The next time he wanted to do something, he had to complete it.

Now, at 23, Sakazuki was an adult, full of strength and at his best while Elbert was old and already wanting to quit the business. Funny how something that he wanted so desperately was just handed to him like that. One last time and he was free to be his own man, finally. Sakazuki wanted to relearn freedom. He wanted to look into the mirror and not be ashamed of who he was. He wanted to look at an island and not see it burn.

“Boy!” there was a sharp pain to his cheek, a harsh backhand that jolted Sakazuki from his memory and he instinctively touched the stinging flesh, his eyes darkened with fury as he glared at the captain. “Get your head in the game! I didn’t train you for five years just for you to daydream in the last most important mission of your fucking worthless life! If I didn’t need your hands to work their magic I would have cut them off to make an example out of you by now!” Elbert growled, stalking away. It occurred to Sakazuki that he might have been zoning out for a while now, because the pirates had started making their way toward the big city. “Do you remember your fucking mission or do I need to beat it into you again?” Elbert asked, losing his thin patience.

“I remember,” Sakazuki muttered, glaring angrily at the deck as if it had personally offended him. “You will wreak havoc while I sneak into the castle, break into the treasure room, take the diamond and meet you back on the ship,” he repeated, voice tight and fists clenched. “I know what to do,” he said. Elbert stared at him for a long moment before he nodded, shoving Sakazuki off the ship. He was their nimblest member and good at breaking in. There was no one better at it than he was. It was the only reason he got this mission at all.

Sakazuki made his way toward the city, cobblestone streets and beautiful trees meeting them as they signaled their attack, in the middle of the night where people were all asleep. Sakazuki glanced behind him, toward the direction of the pirate ship. One way or another, this would be the last time that he departed it as a pirate.

* * *

Unfortunately, the plan worked.

Sakazuki wished that it hadn’t. The burning city was enough to capture the majority of the guards’ attention away from the castle, and the rest was too busy protecting the noble family. Hugging the shadows, Sakazuki silently made his way down the long hall, easily knocking the few remaining guards unconscious as he did so. Digging through the guard’s pants to search for the key chain, Sakazuki listened to the chaos outside the windows. People screamed. People cried. There were sounds of fighting and gun shots, the clashing of metal, panicked commands being spat out in a hurry.

“Pirates! They shot down the commander!”

“Reinforcement! We need reinforcement!”

“Help! The South wall needs help! Send more men!”

“Someone broke into the castle! We can’t contact the guards! Hurry! Hurry! We must protect the King and his family!”

Sakazuki cursed. He hadn’t heard what he wanted to hear. He already got the key, he could break into the room, take the diamond and run away… Or he could stay and stand his ground. He already made a bet. He could not back down from it.

Sakazuki stayed.

“Marines! There are Marine ships coming! We’re saved! The Marines know! They’re coming to aid us!” A relieved yell from outside, so distanced Sakazuki would have missed it had he not been waiting for exactly that. A smile, small and genuine but brilliant in its warmth, spread across his lips. It was time to run away now.

Sakazuki darted off, dodging guards when he could and knocking them out when he couldn’t. He came to a crossroad, guards hot on his heels. He made a sharp turn, running up the stairs of a tall tower, his lungs burned but he refused to get caught. Almost there, freedom was so close. He couldn’t let himself be taken before he saw things to the very end.

A door met him at the end of the stairs, unlocked. Without thinking, Sakazuki pushed in, slamming the door shut as quietly as he could. His eyes took in his surroundings, frowning in confusion as he saw glass cases and cabinets lining up the walls, filled to the brim with all assortments of strange objects that Sakazuki had never seen before. No time to look at them now. He needed to hide. Sakazuki looked around, trying to find a place that he could lay low until the dangers passed.

“So you’re the one the guards are looking for.”

An unfamiliar voice said from behind him, bored and slightly slurred with a tint of interest and curiosity. Sakazuki whipped around, heart lurching. His hand found the handle of the scimitar, the blade stained with fresh blood. His eyes landed on the figure that had come out of a room tucked away in a corner. He was young, probably only a few years older than Sakazuki at most, and clearly a civilian, with gold cuffs bracelets adorning his wrists and a silk robe wrapped around his slender body that had never seen signs of battles before. He looked like a pampered noble. Sakazuki briefly wondered about the irony of the situation if he had actually stumbled upon the bedroom of one of them. Knowing his luck, that was not out of the question.

The civilian rolled his eyes, a glass of wine held precariously in one graceful, white gloved hand as he dropped languidly on a chaise. His long legs dangling off the edge, head tipping as he swallowed the last dregs from his glass. Sakazuki watched as the man studied the stubborn droplets of red wine that were clinging to the glass.

“If you call for the guards-” Sakazuki threatened, trying to regain control of the situation. He was aware that the guards were still searching for him, and he had no desire to be found right now. He also felt like he was losing control of the situation. Shouldn’t the civilian man freak out more? Sakazuki was a large man wielding a bloody weapon. He should be fearing for his life, not drinking wine.

“-Do I look like I’m calling for the guards? _Please_. You picked a terrible hiding place. Practically a dragon’s tower up here. Drink?” the civilian offered, reaching for an opened bottle of red wine that rested in a bucket of long melted ice. He uncorked it, pouring a generous amount in the large glass. He held it up loosely between his fingers. Sakazuki frowned, studying the civilian’s flushed cheeks and dilated eyes.

“…I think you’ve had enough,” he said finally, lowering his weapon. The civilian shrugged and took a small sip of the full glass but stopped half way through when Sakazuki aimed a disapproving look at him, shaking his head firmly. 

“ _God_. Judgy for a pirate aren’t you?” the civilian snarked, placing the glass of wine down. “The city is burning, the King and his family are fucked. It’s called for a celebration. Since you and your crew caused this, I thought I would invite you for a drink. It’s the good stuff~” he tempted, eyebrows wiggling suggestively.

Sakazuki gawked for a moment before his face twisted in anger. “What the hell are you talking about?! The castle is burning! The city is in flame and you are _celebrating_?! Who the fuck are you anyway?! You are no ordinary civilian! And I doubt you belong to the King’s family, unless there’s something I’m missing here! Why the hell would you be staying in this place? _What_ is this place?” he demanded, anger taking over to mask his confusion. He felt like he had lost control of the situation the moment the other guy showed up and he desperately wanted it back.

The civilian stared at Sakazuki for a moment before he snorted. “Oh~ A civilian. That’s a new one. It’s been awhile since I was called that,” he said, lying comfortably on the expensive cushioned couch. “I’m Borsalino,” he introduced absently, propping his head up with one hand. “Or as the King and his family like to call me this week, ‘Precious’. I’m a Light Man. I ate the Glint Glint Fruit and hmm…” he hummed, glancing at the rest of the room. Sakazuki followed his eyes. “Welcome to the Artifact Room, where the Noble family likes to keep their most precious possession, things too precious to keep in the treasure room. I’m officially called Artifact N02311, but you can call me whatever. It changes every week anyway~” he said, a lilt to his tone and an easy smile graced his lips.

Sakazuki’s frown deepened. Behind that easy smile and eyes that laughed was an ugly bitterness that he could recognize almost too well. “Well? Why don’t you just escape if you don’t want to be here?” he asked bluntly. “Do you want to be an ‘artifact’?” he asked. It felt disgusting to him, a person being treated like an object. Sakazuki had been treated like an object all his life, it was disgusting to see another human being treated like that. However, the guy, Borsalino or what his name was, didn’t seem like he was trapped here. There was no guard outside the door at the moment and he didn’t make a run for it? If Sakazuki had the chance to bolt, he would have done so ages ago. In fact, he tried and tried and tried again. “And you didn’t answer my other question. The city is burning, why are you celebrating? Does it make you happy to see people suffer?” he asked, glancing at the unbarred window to a roaring fire from afar. He wished he could see the approaching Marine vessels.

Borsalino sighed dramatically. “Youth nowadays, so rude~” he said, laughing humorlessly. “And for a pirate, so judgmental, too~” he hummed, raising a free hand and giving it a firm shake. The cuffs chimed merrily, the yellow metal reflected the warm orange chandelier above in a mesmerizing display of light. Borsalino placed his index finger in his mouth and bit down on the white glove, tugging it free and exposing the skin beneath it. There were raised burn tissues running down his entire hand, staring from his wrist all the way to his finger tip, red and unsightly. The sick feeling that Sakazuki had been feeling since Borsalino introduced himself as an ‘artifact’ only grew more intense. He tried to ignore it. It didn’t work. “Explosive cuffs with sea stone inlaid. My power is always disabled unless the King wishes for me to give them a show to entertain the guests, and if I walk out of the perimeter, my hands explode. Very unpleasant~” Borsalino continued lightly, putting the glove back on.

If anything was possible, how many truly horrible things were possible? Way too much. Sakazuki wished he hadn’t seen as much as he had.

Borsalino either ignored Sakazuki’s growing horror or he didn’t notice. He reclined further, looking at the orange sky, the flame lighting up the dark night while more screams were heard throughout the vicinity. “It’s very amusing to me to watch _people_ suffer,” he smiled sweetly, tapping the cuffs. “I’m just a thing after all. Why would my opinion matter~? People don’t ask if a chair minds being sat on, do they? If I’m amused that this place burns, then I hardly think it’s a cause for concern,” he said. “Funny thing that I’m hearing though. Marines are coming to save the King. It’s too bad,” he sighed.

Sakazuki snorted and walked toward the window, keeping himself hidden away but still glancing outside. A pleased smile spread across his lips as he heard familiar screams of his former crew as they were cut down by Marines. Blood would definitely stain the streets tonight, and it would be the last time Sakazuki had to see or board that ship again. “I suppose you aren’t wrong. There are things that just need to be burned,” he said.

“Mnm~” Borsalino hummed. “You haven’t introduced yourself though. That’s not nice~ I didn’t hide anything from you~ What’s your name?” he asked, unconcerned. “Since you still haven’t cut me down yet, and we are making conversation, I thought it’s appropriate that we both learn each other’s name~” he said.

Sakazuki glanced at the civilian. He was much too unsettlingly calm in a scene where all Sakazuki wanted to do was to claw out his skin. “Sakazuki,” he finally answered. “And stop calling yourself a thing. People might consider us-“ he cut off sharply, watching Borsalino’s eyebrow arch. “You, people might consider you a possession but that doesn’t mean you have to fucking bend over for them,” he said angrily. He clicked his tongue, marching toward Borsalino and snatched up his hand.

“Ouch,” Borsalino blinked, wiggling his fingers in Sakazuki’s firm grip. “Nice to meet you, too, Saka-san~ Can you let go of my hands, please~?” Borsalino asked politely, his smile turned tight with sudden tension. “I don’t know if I’m ready for this step of our relationship just yet~” he joked lightly.

“Shut the hell up, idiot. And stop moving so much. If you trigger this thing, I’m going to kill you,” Sakazuki snapped, searching for a pin that he always kept with him as he started working to unhook the intricate lock. It was harder than what he usually had to deal with, but it wasn’t impossible. There was a small click and the first cuff detached from Borsalino’s wrist. Sakazuki caught it gently and put it on the coffee table. He held up his hand. “The other one,” he commanded, watching Borsalino’s eyes widen in surprise, the first sign of shock that he had seen all night. It was good to see that the civilian wasn’t made of booze and bitter jokes. “Came with the job,” Sakazuki said dryly in explanation to the wordless question he could see in Borsalino’s eyes.

The second wrist was offered without question, an eagerness and anticipation for freedom that was suddenly given without being asked. “I can show you something,” Borsalino spoke up while Sakazuki worked on his other wrist. “Not a way out, there is no way out beside the window and unless you want to risk meeting the guards down below. They’ll be searching for you now but…” he stopped for a moment to gather his thoughts. “I might have something that can help you escape this tower. I don’t know if it’d help but… Well, it’d definitely piss _them_ off,” Borsalino’s lips twitched up slightly.

Sakazuki said nothing to the offer, removing the second cuff with a soft anticlimactic _click_. There were no sounds of fireworks, the earth didn’t explode, the sky didn’t shatter. Borsalino’s freedom didn’t cost anything but a few minutes of Sakazuki’s time. It was over fast enough that Borsalino seemed to be in a daze, struggling with himself to make sense of what had just happened. The city did burn though, and it was still burning, being razed to the ground while Marines fought to capture the plundering pirates.

“I-“ Borsalino stopped, stared at his wrists before looking up at Sakazuki. There was an emotional rawness that made Sakazuki uncomfortable to see. There was no way that he would be able to expose himself so fully like that, and yet here there sat another person that he had just met not even twenty minutes ago, so willing to hold his heart in both hands and holding it out for Sakazuki to see. Borsalino swallowed several times before he spoke. “Wait here,” he said, holding out a bottle of wine in one hand as he walked toward a glass case that held a red something inside. With one heavy swing, Borsalino smashed the glass to pieces. Sakazuki jumped when alarms started blaring, the demand of ‘what the fuck’ was on the tip of his tongue but before he could say anything, Borsalino already shoved a giant red pepper in his hand. “Eat it, hurry,” Borsalino said. “It’s a Devil Fruit. I heard it’s a Logia and the second most prized artifact here, well, maybe the most prized artifact even. If you eat it, maybe you can find a way to get out of here safely. You have done for me something that no other humans have done before. That’s enough. It’s my turn to do something for you now,” he pointed toward another case. “That’s a named katana. I don’t know much about swords but you can use that. That’s probably better than whatever you’ve got. Hurry,” he urged. “It’s my one final revenge. Take away everything this bastard holds dear would make me very happy. If I die, then it’s good enough,” he said.

Sakazuki glared at the fruit, brushing away the glass shards. This was a big decision and Sakazuki wasn’t sure if he was really ready for it yet. However, the choice was taken away from his hand when he heard pounding on the door, the alarms had pretty much called the attention to the room. With one deep breath, Sakazuki took a bite of the unappetizing fruit, feeling it pulsing on his tongue like a heart before melting like ash in his throat. He gagged, trying to cough it out but it was no use. What the hell had he just done? Sakazuki stumbled forward, looking back at Borsalino before looking at the glass case. Sakazuki could see that his hand was melting at the edge but he wasn’t so sure if that was a trick of the light or not. There was no time to think, really. Sakazuki’s fist pulled back and he punched, shattering the second glass, triggering another loud alarm. This time the guards broke the door open and ran in, weapons in hands.

Sakazuki grabbed a hold of the sheathed katana in the broken glass case, noting how the glass had started melting. Okay, not a trick of the light then. He really ate a Devil Fruit. “Stop and put your hands in the air!” a guard demanded, pointing a gun at him. Sakazuki reached out and took a hold of Borsalino’s wrist, pulling him against his chest. “I said stop!” the guard cried, holding up his gun. He was young, baby faced and shaky hands spoke of a life without much experience.

“Don’t shoot! That’s the King’s pet! If you injure him, we’ll be killed!” another guard cried, pointing at Borsalino. “Let it go slowly! If you let it go, the King might show you mercy!” he tried to convince Sakazuki. It was a weak attempt at best. “The Marines are here. If you don’t let it go, your next destination is Impel Down, pirate!” he snapped.

Sakazuki cringed at title but he quickly recovered, a smirk on his face as he inched toward the window. “If you know I’m a pirate, you’ll know that a pirate tends to steal a lot of treasure. I’m not interested in your damn diamond. You can keep it to yourself. I’m stealing my freedom back, and his, too. Since he’s apparently here and I’m not letting another person be taken as a thing under my watch,” he said, pulling a flailing Borsalino out the window. “Trust fall,” he said, leaping off the ledge and taking Borsalino with him.

Wind rushed past them as they fell, and fell, and fell, Borsalino’s eyes widened in panic before he squeezed them shut, his body turned into a bright yellow beam of light and he disappeared in mid-air while Sakazuki fell freely. He hit the ground, head first, a smattering of bubbling red liquid while Borsalino materialized beside him, hyperventilating with shock. He tried to reach for the red mess that was once Sakazuki but he couldn’t touch him. There was nothing left to be touched. “Sakazuki?... S-Saka-san?” Borsalino called weakly, voice trembling.

Slowly, the red puddle shuddered and pulled back, reforming first a leg, then a torso and finally a head. “That… was uncomfortable…” Sakazuki muttered. His memory was a bit fuzzy, but he was glad that he was alive. He was glad that they were alive. He blinked, watching the civilian… Borsalino crash against his chest, hugging him tightly. “Stop clinging! I’m fine!” Sakazuki snapped, standing up as he struggled to detangle himself from a clingy Borsalino. “Let’s go. We need to get out of here and either find a ship or wait for shit to blow over,” Sakazuki said seriously, trying to shake Borsalino’s hand away from his wrist but to no avail. Borsalino was apparently determined to cling to Sakazuki for dear life. Finally, he heaved out a sigh and just endured it, taking off to a direction away from the fire and the scream.

“Hey, Saka-san?” Borsalino suddenly spoke, trying to keep up with Sakazuki’s hurried pace. “This raid was in the middle of the night… How did the Marines know when the raid would take place to arrive here in such a timely manner?” he asked, his mind connecting the dots now that things were not happening all at once anymore.

“Who knows?” Sakazuki grunted. “Maybe someone promised that they would take down the pirates, and they did. Keeping them alive was a mistake,” he said vaguely.

“…And how were you planning to escape from the Marines, Saka-san? If it wasn’t for you running to my room, you would have been captured…” Borsalino asked, ducking into a dark alley under Sakazuki’s guide.

“If you were under the impression that I thought I was different from those pirates enough that I don’t deserve to be caught, you were dead wrong. I’m not under the illusion that I’m better than them,” Sakazuki said darkly. He had been ready to be caught. He would have been happy being caught it he knew that he had taken at least pirate crew down. If they had given him Hell, the least he could do was to drag them all to it with him. “I wasn’t planning to run away. I was just stalling enough to see them be taken down with my own eyes. I’m nobody’s cabin boy and I’m _not_ an object to change hands,” he snarled. His eyes softened as he glanced at Borsalino. “Well, what are you planning now? You can’t stay here.”

Borsalino thought for a moment. “Neither can you. I wouldn’t be able to survive on my own even if I were to leave right now. Since you freed me, you have to take responsibility for a little while,” he said, a hint of humor returned to him after the rapid escalation earlier. “Hmm~ How poetic~ Two possessions taking control of their own lives~ Living at last~” Borsalino said, glancing up at the orange sky.

“Not yet living,” Sakazuki corrected sharply. “Maybe eventually though,” he added begrudgingly. “Come on, let’s go,” he urged, gripping Borsalino’s burned hand tightly. “Let’s relearn freedom.”

“Let’s~”

**Author's Note:**

> Well, Red! Happy Holidays Hehehe... He... he... *nervous laughter* I'm sorry I have no clue what the hell I'm doing but I tried. I'm sorry you got me, dude. 'cause RIP... My Secret Santa gift for Redpen1992. Thank you for being such a wonderful writer and god... Idk what I'm doing... I hope this isn't horrible.
> 
> Special shout out to the Modern Typewriter for the prompt inspiration. And thank you to all of my friends, writers or otherwise, for being awesome and putting up with me! You guys can find me on Twitter and Dreamwidth at chiakihamano1 :D


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